Lab Services:

Filamentous Identification Lab Service. One reason
to identify filaments is to determine the filaments characteristics and
then determine the type present.If the type is found out, a root cause can usually be associated
with a particular filament.
If the cause is known, then a correction can be made to alleviate
problems. Chlorination is only a quick fix.Without process changes, filaments will grow back after
chlorination.

Wastewater Biomass Analyses and Cooling Tower Analyses also available

Training Materials:

Training is an integral part of any job. Not everyone is at the same level of training. Many people want beginning concepts and basics. Some need technical information or troubleshooting. Some want equipment, technology or process information.

We have developed a full set of Basic training, Advanced training,
Filamentous Identification the Easy Way as well as custom training CD's
Manuals. We also provide hands-on training classes and soon will have an
Online "E-University".

Audits and Consulting:

At Environmental Leverage®Inc., we have a team of
experienced individuals who come into your plant with a fresh pair of
eyes. The system is checked from influent to effluent. System
optimization, equipment efficiency and operational excellence are key
components explored. Key Benefits Equipment efficiency Total Cost of
Operation reductions Reliability and safety

An onsite audit is conducted to examine system parameters, process controls, and current monitor and control procedures. A physical walk-through is conducted, process flow diagrams are examined, previous design criteria are examined and current standard operating procedures are evaluated along with data logs.

Service Options

Latest News!

What's New!

We have just added "Virtual Audits" to our capabilities.
Check out our new Services. We are in the process of
developing an ""Online E-University" in order to meet the needs of our global customers that cannot travel to our public classes. Stay tuned for details and updates.

Cooling towers can be a critical process in many industrial production
facilities.
An industrial cooling tower can be the perfect media for biological growth
if not properly treated. Typical pH is 7-9 and temperatures may have a wide
range.

In a cooling tower, the water trickles down a large surface area in order to
air-cool the water. The natural evaporation provides the cooling
necessary to reuse the water.

As water evaporates, minerals and contaminants in the water concentrate.
These minerals and contaminants will eventually reach a concentration where
they will cause problems and interfere with the performance of both the
tower and the cooling system, itself. Fouling and corrosion of the
cooling tower can impact treatment, and impact heat transfer losses causing
decrease in efficiency and increased power consumption.

Biofouling
can also destroy cooling towers if they are made of lumber. Corrosion can
occur on metal parts.

More seriously, such contaminants can be harmful to humans who come in
contact with them, like operational and maintenance personnel. The most
notable example has been the outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease, affecting
people in hotels, hospitals, office buildings, and other locations, who have
come into contact with cooled air from an air conditioning system
contaminated from cooling tower water of the air conditioning plant.

What are the typical Biological species found that could cause corrosion
and Biofouling?

Fungi

Mold

Yeast

Algae

Aerobic and
anaerobic bacteria

MIC bacteria
(sulfate-reducing, acid producing, nitrate reducing,

Iron/sulfur
oxidizing)

Slime-forming
bacteria

Iron/manganese depositing bacteria

Thiobacillus spp., Gallionella spp., Sphaerotilus spp.

Yeast and Fungi

The
presence of large amounts of yeast or fungi can indicate a low pH, or
existence of fermentative conditions. There are more than 75,000 species of
yeast and fungi, which include mold, smut, rust and mildew. They may be
colorless or cover the entire color spectrum. Most grow best in warm, dark,
moist places. Most are aerobic with low oxygen demand. A few, including
yeast, are anaerobic. Fungi can grow on almost any surface and are
considered an attributing factor to wood deterioration. Both yeast and fungi
are commonly transported by air currents. They are relatively large and can
easily be identified with microscopic analyses.

Fungi

Two forms of fungi commonly encountered are molds (filamentous forms) and
yeast (unicellular forms). Molds can be quite troublesome, causing white rot
or brown rot of the cooling tower wood, depending on whether they are
cellulolytic (attack cellulose) or lignin degrading. Yeast are also
cellulolytic. They can produce slime in abundant amounts and preferentially
colonize wood surfaces.

Identification:
Fungi are extremely large, non-motile filaments (300-1000 µm). They can be
straight, irregularly curved or bent filaments with true branching. Cells
are very rectangular (3-8 x 5-15 µm) with very large trichomes and contain
organelles and large intracellular granules and structures. A heavy cell
wall is usually present.
Environment:
Fungi and yeast are usually found in environments where there is a low pH.
They are usually common in a biotower or a trickling filter. They can cause
"plugging or ponding".

Control:
Low pH is usually the cause of fungi and yeast. pH can be increased on the
influent or in the MLSS to above pH 6 and usually with a little bit of time
they disappear.

Yeast

Identification:Yeast are a
group of unicellular fungi a few species of which are commonly used to
leaven bread and ferment alcoholic beverages. Most yeast belong to the
division Ascomycota.Similar Organisms:

Yeast can be similar to Tetrads
The presence of large amounts of yeast in the wastewater
can indicate a low pH, the existence of fermentative conditions, or a severe
phosphorous deficiency. Raising the pH above 7 will usually make the yeast
disappear.

Algae

Algae
primarily occur in the tower deck area because most species require sunlight
for photosynthesis and growth.
Algae slimes can plug distribution nozzles and troughs in the cooling tower
deck, causing poor water distribution across the tower and hence reduce
cooling efficiency. Water intake screens may also become plugged by algae
slimes that can slough off from the tower. The growth of algae may provide a
food source that encourages the growth of other organisms, such as bacteria
and fungi.

Algae require control because the biomass can also break loose and cause
exchanger fouling. When this happens, slimy, rubbery masses form, which
cause plugging and decrease the tower efficiency. Various types of algae can
be responsible for green growths, which block screens and distribution
decks. Severe algae fouling can ultimately lead to unbalanced water flow and
reduced cooling tower efficiency.

Algae can be single celled and free floating, filamentous and cause mattes
or can be slime forming.
Algae are typically photosynthetic organisms. Green and blue-green algae are
very common in cooling systems. Blue-green algae are now classified
with the bacteria and are called cyanobacteria.

What
type of Algae are you growing in your cooling tower?

Algae can be branched or Straight

Algae can be curled or in small free floating clusters with a slime
coating

Diatoms are algae enclosed by a silicaceous cell wall and may also be
present in cooling towers but generally do not play a significant role in
cooling system problems.

Microbiological Influenced Corrosion or MIC

MIC is corrosion or deterioration of material, which is initiated and/or
accelerated by the activities of micro-organisms. These materials are mainly
metal, but also can be concrete or plastics. 1/5 of all corrosion is
typically caused by microorganisms and biofouling. The most common MICs
can be categorized into sulphate reducing bacteria (SRB), iron oxidizing
bacteria and acid producing bacteria (APB).

Sulfate
Reducing Bacteria

can include Desulfovibrio, Purple sulfur bacteria, Beggiatoa,
Thiobacillus, Spaeratolis Natans SRBs are characterized by hydrogen
sulfide odor and blackened water or black colored deposits. Iron oxidizing
bacteria generally form in filamentous clumps and can be detected under
microscope by their distinct appearance due the excreted products that grow.
This corrosion by iron bacteria often forms tubercles.

Beggiatoa is a motile sulfur reducing filamentous Bacteria found in many
biofilms

DesulfoVibrioSpirillum

Purple sulfur bacteria
Spirillum and S natans

S. natans
Filaments with sulfur granules

Iron Depositing Bacteria

Iron depositing bacteria grow best in low oxygen environments but are
common in open-circulation systems. Gallionella and
Sphaerotilus use soluble, or ferrous, iron as an energy source, and convert
it to an insoluble oxide or hydroxide form. These deposits create fouling
and set up concentration corrosion cells and conditions under which
anaerobic bacteria flourish. Gallionella frequently leave spiderweb-like
deposits on metal surfaces. The deposit looks like black iron. Severe
corrosion is usually evident under the deposit.

Gallionella spp.,

Other
bacteria that may be present in cooling water include Pseudomonas,
Klebsiella, Eneterobacter, Acinetobacter, Bacillus, Aeromonas, and
Legionella Spore forming bacteria Denitrifying bacteria, or pseudomonas, can
cause the loss of nitrite inhibitor in closed-water systems. Usually plate
counts with differential media are used to determine the exact count of
these types of bacteria

Biofouling Slime or Slime forming Bacteria

As you can see, there are quite a few different things
that can be determined under the microscope from Cooling tower water
samples.

Many things can be determined that can save time, money
and reduce multiple traditional tests.

Call our lab to find out how
to schedule a microscopic analyses of your cooling tower water or slime that
has built up.